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Petersburg's school buildings and surrounding area were on lockdown for over an hour Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 26, after police received a report of a person with an AR-15 gun and multiple magazines in a school bathroom. The Petersburg Police Department, Alaska Wildlife Troopers and U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement responded and secured the area. Officers found no real threat on the premises and determined it was a false report. "I'm sure people were alarmed, but rest assured it's safe and...
At the Petersburg fire station, Heather Bauscher sat waiting for an ambulance. She had a fake tourniquet on her arm, representing a lost limb. "I've got a small amount of time before I go into shock," she said. "So as soon as we get there, I'll start a timer, and they'll have a little bit of time to figure out what's going on with me." Bauscher was one of about a dozen Petersburg community members acting as victims in a staged mass casualty drill on Aug. 16. The drill, which was organized by Petersburg Emergency Services Director Aaron Hankins... Full story
To better understand the hydrology of their neighboring island, Petersburg middle schoolers mapped Coho Creek on July 30. The trip to Kupreanof Island was part of the summertime Wonder Camp series facilitated by the Petersburg Public Library and Alaska Sea Grant, a marine science education organization. The camp provides opportunities for middle schoolers to learn more about the environment around them, with the help of experts. This trip's expert was Emil Tucker, a hydrologist for the U.S....
A dozen teenagers returned to Petersburg on July 22 after a weeklong kayak trip learning how to paddle, fly-fish and lead as a team. The group kayaked and camped along the southern coast of Mitkof Island, exploring from Woodpecker Cove to Point Alexander. They were led by certified instructors from Petersburg Medical Center and the outdoor education group Onward & Upward as their guides, teaching outdoor safety skills. "Adventure wilderness expeditions changed who I am as a person, honestly...
A group of volunteers searched the south end of Mitkof Island for European green crab on July 18, looking for any sign that the highly invasive species had reached central Southeast Alaska after other sightings southward. After a couple hours of scouring a rocky beach near Woodpecker Cove for crab carapaces (molted shells), there was a close call with a live green crab that the group captured. Sunny Rice, an agent of marine conservation group Alaska Sea Grant, hurried over to inspect it. After...
The state forecasted a very healthy run of sockeye salmon in the Stikine River this season, which opened to subsistence fishing June 21. They projected around 176,000 sockeye, which is about 45% more than the average of 121,000 fish. Although state biologists track the run, the U.S. Forest Service manages the subsistence fishery in the river near Wrangell Island. Ashley Bolwerk, a subsistence biologist for the federal agency, said the above-average forecast gave the green light to open up the...
Significant cuts to Medicaid alongside impacts to Medicare are included in the budget reconciliation bill signed into law by President Donald Trump last week. Alaska is second only to New Mexico in the highest rate of people using Medicaid. About 38% of Alaskans are on it, according to the state's Department of Health. Medicaid is a health insurance option for low-income people, and Medicare is a federal program providing health insurance for eligible seniors and people with disabilities. Much...
Friends, family and community members gathered near the Petersburg Indian Association's Hallingstad-Peratrovich Building on June 28 to celebrate the town's first annual Amy Hallingstad Day, honoring a Tlingit woman who shaped Petersburg's history in the 20th century. Nicole Hallingstad, Amy Hallingstad's granddaughter, flew in from Anchorage to welcome attendees to the event, which was organized with PIA. She said her grandmother's decades of activism for Alaska Native rights inspired her to...
Southeast Alaska broke records for rainfall this spring. And for the Blind Slough hydroelectric plant near Petersburg, more rain means more power. Sometimes, however, there is such a thing as too much rain, according to Petersburg Borough Utility Director Karl Hagerman. "This year, there was just too much water to deal with," he said. The hydro plant uses water from a dam at Crystal Lake to generate power. But the record-breaking precipitation Mitkof Island got in May caused Crystal Lake to...
